Various daily ramblings with a focus on the SDM program at MIT, sports, and life in general.

Wednesday, October 12, 2005

Scott Berkum Talk

Today I went over to MIT for a talk given by Scott Berkum, a former Program Manager at Microsoft. His talk was very enjoyable, though I really did not learn much new. It was mostly directed at those who have not yet been in the workplace, which I have for over nine years now =). Great and entertaining speaker, though. I'm bummed to have to miss his 4pm talk on "Why Software Sucks," but religion calls.

Some pointers and thoughts from the talk:* Don't send out bad resumes. It's seem obvious, but a lot of people do it (you wouldn't believe the crap I saw while at SI. I think my favorite all-time was one in which the person had put "Great written and oral communicator" and "communicator" was misspelled)* Berkum used a picture of a football team to illustrate the different roles a person can play. You want to be the guy making the tackle, even if someone is drawing a face mask penalty on you at the same time* Chewing with your mouth closed is a good thing. Smacking is gross (Oops, sorry. That was inspired by the guy sitting next to me. It was seriously making me nauseous)* Work-life balance is incredibly important. Yeah, we all know this, but I loved the quote: "You work eighty hours a week?!?! That's embarrassing!"

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About Me

I currently reside in Atlanta, and have over 15 years of experience in Java and related internet-type technologies. I received my undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College, and my Master's from MIT. When not geeking out, I enjoy visiting with friends and family, and tearing down houses with my husband. =)